'They knew it was not possible'

Former France star Marcel Desailly gives his thoughts on the 'ethnic quota' row, FIFA scandal, and Chelsea's next boss.

02 Jun 2011 12:58 GMT

French World Cup winner Marcel Desailly speaks to Al Jazeera's Louise Potter about the fallout from France's 'ethnic quota' controversy.

The country's football chiefs - including national coach Laurent Blanc - were admonished last month after discussing the problem of France academy players, mainly of African background, going on to play for their countries of origin.

In an online-exclusive interview, Desailly says that "incorrect words" were used to discuss a real problem, and that former defensive partner Blanc has the backing of the French team after the "terrible" era of former France coach Raymond Domenech.

Speaking on the eve of the European Champions League final on May 28, Desailly defends FIFA's position in the midst of media uproar over allegations of widespread corruption and says that the situation has become "bigger than what it is".

He also discusses the managerial vacancy at Chelsea and correctly predicts the outcome of the Manchester United v Barcelona showdown at Wembley - as does our correspondent.